Happy diabolical woman Wednesday Sunday to all who celebrate

First thoughts on Iron Fist

I have watched the first episode of Iron Fist. This post is a little spoiler-y, but not very, because hardly anything has happened yet that I could even spoil.

What stands out to me the most so far, is that our hero, Danny Rand, possesses no common sense whatsoever. Like, not in the Matt Murdock sense of recklessly flinging himself into danger, but in the sense of having no concept of reasonable human behavior.

He thinks he can show up at the headquarters of a major corporation, walk in the door looking like a deranged hobo, and immediately get a meeting with the CEO if he just announces he’s a guy everyone thinks is dead.

He approaches two different women, repeatedly, often when they’re alone--and for bonus creepy points, breaks into Joy’s home and then MAKES SURE SHE KNOWS HE DID THAT--and seems puzzled that their reactions are fear (from Joy), or complete disinterest (from Colleen). 

He actually complains that people keep treating him with hostility. Um, yes, Danny, that’s what happens when you try to push your way into the lives of people who want nothing to do with you, and then stalk them. What on earth was he expecting?

And then he comes out with fortune cookie aphorisms like “If you seek the truth, hold no opinions” or whatever, I can’t be bothered to go back and get the exact quote.

Is the show doing this on purpose? Is Danny supposed to be some kind of Wise Fool whose troubling behavior is acceptable because he’s in touch with some deeper truth? After just one episode, it’s too soon to say. It’s equally possible that it’s just really tone-deaf writing by someone who needed to establish certain things about the character and couldn’t be bothered to do it in a way that made him actually sympathetic. At all.

I think I’m gonna like Colleen, but so far she hasn’t gotten to do much. Everyone says she’s awesome, so I hope the show gives her some decent writing and lets her shine.

Yeah, I’m gonna keep watching, but boy, that’s a rough start.

Menu ABC News LOG IN 00:00 Trump trying to turn around GOP holdouts on health bill By CATHERINE LUCEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Sep 23, 2017, 11:39 AM ET Email The Associated Press President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally for U.S. Senate candidate Luther Strange, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)more + Unwilling to concede defeat on a bedrock GOP promise, President Donald Trump on Saturday tried to sway two Republican holdouts on the party's last-ditch health care hope while clawing at his nemesis who again has brought the "Obamacare" repeal-and-replace effort to the brink of failure. Trump appealed to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a possible "no" vote, to swing around for the sake of Alaskans up in arms over high insurance costs, and suggested that Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul might reverse his stated opposition "for the good of the Party!"  Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose announcement Friday that he would not vote for the proposal seemingly scuttled efforts to revive the repeal, came under renewed criticism from the White House. It was the second time in three months that McCain, at 81 in the twilight of a remarkable career and battling brain cancer, had emerged as the destroyer of his party's signature and yearslong pledge to voters on health care. "He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!" Trump tweeted. With Senate Democrats unanimously opposed, two is the exact number of GOP votes that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., can afford to lose. McCain and Paul are in the "no" column, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is leaning against the bill and Murkowksi is also a possible "no." TOP STORIES  NFL head, players speak out on Trump's calling for kneeling players to be 'fired' 1h ago But Trump isn't letting go, as seen by his series of tweets while he spends the weekend at his New Jersey golf club. Aiming at Murkowski, Trump cited increases in premiums and other costs in Alaska under the Affordable Care Act. "Deductibles high, people angry! Lisa M comes through," he wrote.  Trump, without offering support for his assertion about former presidential rival Paul, said: "I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party!" But there was no doubt where Trump stood on McCain. "John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill," Trump said. The measure was co-written by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain's closest Senate ally, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. "McCain let his best friend L.G. down!" Trump said, adding that the health bill was "great for Arizona." McCain, in explaining that he could not "in good conscience" vote for the legislation, said both parties "could do better working together" but hadn't "really tried." He also he could not support the measure "without knowing how much it will cost, how it will affect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it." His opposition all but ensured a major setback for Trump and McConnell, and appeared likely to deepen rifts between congressional Republicans and a president who has begun making deals with Democrats out of frustration with his own party's failure to turn proposals into laws. During the election campaign Trump had pledged to quickly kill the Affordable Care Act — "It will be easy," he contended — and he has publicly chided McConnell for not winning passage before now. Up until McCain's announcement, McConnell allies were optimistic McCain's relationship with Graham might make the difference. GOP leaders hoped to bring the legislation to the full Senate this coming week. They face a Sept. 30 deadline, at which point special rules that prevent a Democratic filibuster will expire. Democrats hailed McCain's announcement and pledged to commit to the bipartisan process he sought. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington have been working on a package of limited legislative fixes to the health law's marketplaces. "John McCain shows the same courage in Congress that he showed when he was a naval aviator," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "I have assured Sen. McCain that as soon as repeal is off the table, we Democrats are intent on resuming the bipartisan process." Trump charged that Schumer "sold John McCain a bill of goods. Sad." The Graham-Cassidy bill would repeal major pillars of the health law and replace them with block grants to states to design their own programs. "Large Block Grants to States is a good thing to do. Better control & management," Trump tweeted. But major medical groups said millions of people would lose insurance coverage and protections. A bipartisan group of governors announced their opposition. The House passed its own repeal bill back in May, prompting Trump to convene a Rose Garden celebration, which soon began to look premature. After the Senate failed in several attempts in July, the legislation looked dead. But Cassidy kept at it with his state-focused approach, and the effort caught new life in recent weeks as the deadline neared. Trump pushed hard, hungry for a win. The bill would get rid of unpopular mandates for people to carry insurance or face penalties. It would repeal the financing for Obama's health insurance expansion and create a big pot of money states could tap to set up their own programs, with less federal oversight. It would limit spending for Medicaid, the federal-state program that now covers more than 70 million low-income people. Insurance rules that protect people with pre-existing conditions could be loosened through state waivers. Over time, the legislation would significantly reduce federal health care dollars now flowing to the states. But McConnell had little margin for error in a Senate split 52-48 between Republicans and Democrats, and could lose only two votes, counting on Pence to break the tie. ——— Associated Press writers Erica Werner, Alan Fram and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington contributed to this report. SPONSORED STORIES Locate Anyone By Entering Their Name (This is Addicting) (TruthFinder) New Miracle Drug for Treating Chronic Pain is Taking America by Storm and Helping Pain Sufferers… (news.healthcarepass.com) Which Milk Is Most Nutritious: Soy, Cashew, Almond or Coconut? (The New York Times) How Older Men Tighten Their Skin (The Modern Man Today) Email Comments Trump slams NFL for not firing players who 'disrespect' US By ALI ROGIN TARA FOWLER Sep 22, 2017, 10:46 PM ET Email PlayEvan Vucci/AP WATCH Trump: 'Rocket Man' should've been handled by Clinton President Donald Trump slammed the NFL this evening for what he called the league's tolerance of players showing disrespect to the U.S. Speaking to a crowd in Huntsville, Alabama, where Trump is campaigning for Luther Strange ahead of the Senate runoff for the Republican primary, Trump insisted the NFL take a stronger stance. "Wouldn’t you love to see one of the NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now?'" he continued to thunderous applause and cheers. "You know, some owner ... is going to say, 'That guy who disrespects our flag, he’s fired,'" Trump said. Trump went on to encourage people to "leave the stadium" to protest people doing things like kneeling during the national anthem. "I guarantee things will stop," he said. He also seemed to suggest efforts to prevent injuries were "ruining the game." "Because you know today if you hit too hard: Fifteen yards. Throw him out of the game," Trump said. "... They want to hit. It is hurting the game." Trump tweets angry response after being called 'deranged' and 'dotard' by Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un says Trump will 'pay dearly' for UN speech Trump at UN threatens to 'totally destroy' N. Korea, calls Iran 'murderous regime' Trump fires back at North Korea Trump took aim at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday evening as well, saying "Little Rocket Man" should have been handled a long time ago and vowing he would shield Americans from Kim. "You are protected. Nobody is going to mess with our people. … Nobody is going to put our people in that kind of danger. Nobody," Trump said. In a statement Thursday, Kim said Trump will "pay dearly" for his address to the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, in which Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea. "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U. S. dotard with fire," Kim said. Trump told the crowd in Huntsville that he will "handle" Kim unlike previous administrations before him. "He may be smart, he may be strategic and he may be totally crazy. But no matter what he is … believe me we’re going to handle it," Trump said Friday. The comments followed an early morning tweet from Trump, in which he called the North Korean leader a "madman" and said he "would be tested like never before." McCain opposition to GOP health care bill 'unexpected,' Trump says During the Friday remarks, Trump, who at times seemed to take on a Southern accent, also expressed his displeasure with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who said earlier today he would not support the Graham-Cassidy health care bill. "That was a totally unexpected thing," Trump said. "Honestly, terrible." Email Comments